Kee to Success: Student Careers Guide: Recent Episodes
Vernon Kee
Mr Kee is a high school teacher who worked in the automotive industry as a project manager/engineer. He believes Careers is the most important subject you can take because there's no other course that will change your quality of life like knowledge that it gives you. Through Mr Kee's 14 year career as an educator and guidance counselor he has helped many students find their way to a successful and happy career.This podcast contains interviews with professionals and Mr Kee's grads to give you the knowledge you need to get an edge into finding a career you will love.
Part 2 of 2 of Peter's interview where he talks about what it's like being in med school, exploring medical fields and gives advice to aspiring med school students and researchers.
Danforth MaST grad Peter Tao talks about his path from high school to UofT science to Tufts medical school in this 2 part interview for aspiring doctors.
One of the most common questions I get is "What is Engineering Science?". So today's guest has just completed her first semester at the University of Toronto's Engineering Science program. In this episode she will talk about what the program is, what kind of fields and jobs she can get into and how she achieved a 98% average going in.
In this last part of Ramzi's interview we talk about what he does at RBC as a software engineer and he gives tips for aspiring athletes who want to balance that with engineering.
In this episode, Ramzi continues his interview and talks about what it was like balancing the demands of training track while in software engineering full time. He discusses Western's co-op program, how he got his first job and the power of networking.
Today's guest is an elite high school track athlete who grew up in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in Toronto and recently graduated as software engineer. In this 1st of 3 parts, Ramzi Abdulahi talks about what it was like growing up poor, the positive influence of his teachers at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute and how he chose Western for engineering.
Part 2 of my interview with Sydney Massey who talks about what a typical day is like as a chiropractor and gives tips on how to become one plus what to expect when you see one.
Sydney graduated from Danforth Tech and went to get her Kinesiology degree because she always had an interest in sports and rehab. She got into Chiropractor college and now works in Whitehorse, Yukon! In Part 1 she talks about the Kinesiology program at McMaster and what a chiropractor does.
Mohitul continues his interview by discussing what it's like being a professional Python programmer at Apple. He also gives tips on seeking jobs, succeeding as an Electrical Engineer and more.
Mohitul works as a software engineer for Apple, but what makes him very different from my first guest is that his main job is coding in Python and he works in Apple's Canadian office in Ottawa. His degree is in electrical engineering from Waterloo and in part 1 we'll cover his path from high school through university and what his current job is like.
An-Ni ends her 3 part interview discussing a typical day in her life as a social worker, and how she deals with stress and danger on the job. She also answers student questions on addiction and substance abuse and gives advice for aspiring social workers.
An-Ni continues her interview and the education of social workers including grades and graduate work, the difference in social work programs, as well as jobs and pay. This is Part 2 of 3 and will be the last interview for Season 1 of Kee to Success.
An-Ni thought she wanted as more traditional STEM Career but she discovered social work and was passionate about helping others, so she went to Ryerson's Social Work program and got a job helping people recover from addictions. In Part 1 of this 3 part interview, An-Ni explains how she came to social work, what makes Ryerson different, social justice and explains Defund the Police.
In part 2 we learn more about what it's like being a machine learning engineer at Google, plus Rees gives tips to students trying to get into machine learning and succeed in the career.
Rees went into Physics at Waterloo, came out with a degree in Mathematics and ended up as a Machine Learning Engineer at Google. Learn how he go his job, and what he does in Part 1 of this 2 part interview.
In this final part of my interview with John-Alan Simmons, he discusses success in his own start up and gives tips for students to succeed in computer science. After the interview he reconnected me with his brother who is a machine learning engineer at Google. That interview will appear in a couple weeks as our last episode of this season.
John-Alan continues his interview with how dropping out of University of Toronto's Computer Science program affected him. He gets into his adventures with Bitcoin and Dogecoin mining and discusses his startups leading up to his current company.
I knew John-Alan was an accomplished self taught computer programmer who was also a nationally ranked archer with a lot of talent for doing projects beyond his peers, but I didn't know he was a hacker through high school. John-Alan shares his journey through high school and university in Part 1 of this 3 part series. Later in the series he'll talk about cryptomining and crytpocurrencies as one of the earliest Doge miners and how he started up his companies.
UTS grad Baker Jackson explains what it's like at University of Toronto's Computer Science program, why he turned down Waterloo, and how he got his summer internship before finishing his first year of university. He also explains UofT's PoST system, why it stresses out students and fields many other questions from students.
What do you do if you can't afford university?
This question comes up for more people than we'll ever hear about.
But for Monsaina, self identifying as poor was really about recognizing the barriers to a university education and employment as she struggled with finances while in school and couldn't afford her tuition deposit. This podcast is about Monsaina's story from high school to the University of Guelph's Commerce and Accounting program to landing a great job before she graduates this year.
Kyle continues his story with what it was like doing an exchange program to Europe and how he got his job at a machine learning start-up through email. He also gives his final advice to help students who might be in a similar financial situation in university.
Our next episode will come in 2 weeks as we pause for Ontario's March break in April!
There is a barrier to education for students that come from a low income family or where they are the first to have university degrees. My next two guests have persevered to become successful despite these barriers that most people don't realize. Their messages are here for inspiration to others who might be in a similar situation.
My first guest is Kyle who has a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Economics from UofT. In Part 1 he talks about life in high school, university and his exchange program experience in Europe.
Arujala discusses her co-op jobs at McMaster, what her current job is like at Imperial Oil and final advice for those aspiring to be chemical engineers.
Danforth MaST grad Arujala originally wanted to go into aerospace engineering but switched into chemical engineering at McMaster. She became roommates with my other guest Nelani and went on to work at Imperial Oil as an environmental project manager. In Part 1 of 2 she talks about high school and life at McMaster in the Chemical Engineering program. The end of this podcast references a video on YouTube which you can find by searching for "Ananya Chadha networking".
Not all success has come easy for my grads. In this episode, my student switched from Chemical to Mechatronics and then hit the challenge of not having work experience before entering university. Danforth MaST graduate Serena Foo talks about her journey through Waterloo's Mechatronics program, her advancement through different jobs and where she is now as an Electrical Engineering working in B.C.
Nancy did her undergrad at the University of Waterloo in Legal Studies, Arts and Business. She's currently at the University of Ottawa in her 1st year of law school. Nancy talks about the shift from high school to university, co-op jobs for non-STEM students at a school known for STEM and the process to getting into law school.
Wasiur gives more insights into his work, then discusses how to be successful in university. He talks about perks of working at Uber, explains the difference between CompSci, Comp Eng and Software Eng and his final advice for career success.
It took 3 years for Danforth Tech MasT grad Wasiur Rahman to become a Lead Engineer at Uber in San Francisco. A graduate of Waterloo's software engineering program, he had 7 co-op jobs. In Part 1 of this 2 part series, Wasiur talks about his co-op jobs, how his career progressed, and the secret to his success.
Danforth Grad Jerry Wu continues his interview as he explains his career path after university to Wall Street and takes questions from students. He fields questions from last week's guest - self taught investor Erick Gutierrez.
In contrast to our previous guest, this Danforth Tech grad traveled a bumpy road through the University of Waterloo to earn his Masters in Accounting and become a Wall Street Investment Banker. Part 1 details the entertaining stories of Jerry Wu and how he survived university to land his first job.
This episode is Part 2 of my interview with Erick, the Danforth Tech grad who retired at 22 by learning how to invest in the stock market. Erick discusses traits of success, long term strategies, the problem with our high school system and what happens when you become a millionaire fast. Make sure to take notes, because there are a lot of potentially life changing points!
He grew up in inner city Regent Park with English as his second language. He didn't like the school system and worked as a line chef after high school but recovering from a concussion for 2 months made him re-evaluate what he always wanted from life. Erick Gutierrez retired 5 years out of high school after successfully becoming a millionaire in the stock market. In Part 1 of this interview, Erick explains his story, his methods and and how he came to retire at 22.
He started off in carpentry but loved rock climbing, working with his hands, and being outdoors, so Daren Bernier entered the world Wind Tech and became a wind turbine technician and safety trainer who is high in demand. Learn about what it's like being a wind turbine technician from someone loves their job in this unique interview.
In Part 2 of his interview, Jake talks about how he got into Elite Window Cleaning and worked his way up to become Director of Marketing. He also answers student questions about Queens and gives tips on how to be a successful business student.
Vincent Song graduated from UTS in 2020 but has developed an advanced degree of skill with networking throughout high school which lead to gaining valuable experience to make him stand out in his application to Stanford. In this interview Vincent talks about how he got into Stanford, what it's like in first year and how he's using networking skills to make the most of his experience. This podcast references his interview on YouTube called "How to Network! Tips on tackling the professional world. (lowkey changed my life)" on Ananya Chahda's channel. There is swearing in this episode that has been bleeped out.
Jake thought he wanted to be an engineer until he got into business at Queens with hopes of getting into consulting. Jake found his way into a company and became their Director of Marketing after graduating in 2018. In Part 1 of this interview, Jake talks about his experience at Queens including why he chose it, extra-curriculars and the best and worst parts of university.
The last question in every episode is the final advice each guest wishes to share. Here's a compilation of all 7 guests that were published in 2020 to help inspire you for 2021.
Catherine first tried autobody repair during the Tech rotation ta Danforth Collegiate where students get to try different trades. It was there she met legendary auto shop teacher Bill Speed who mentored her to become a gold medalist at the Canada Skills Competition. Catherine talks about how she got into auto body repair, apprenticeship, and finding success and a rewarding career in trades.
Ridwan talks about his interview for his position at Microsoft, what a Product Manager does and his advice on how students can be successful. This interview is must for anyone looking for success in university or career in computer engineering.
Ridwan turned down Waterloo to go into Track 1 at the University of Toronto where he graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering. He was head of the aerospace team and lead a project that will have a satellite put into space. His work on that project helped him stand out to be hired by Microsoft as a Program Manager at Microsoft HQ in Seattle. In Part 1 Ridwan talks about his university experience.
Part 2 of Nelani's interview where she talks about her co-op jobs while taking Computer Engineering at McMaster and how she got her internship at Microsoft and her job as a silicon design engineer at Microsoft HQ in Seattle.
Nelani graduated from Danforth Tech's MaST program in 2014 and went to McMaster for BioMedical Engineering but switched to Computer Engineering. She now works for Microsoft as a silicon design engineer. In Part 1 Nelani talks about why she picked McMaster Engineering and what it was like in the program.
The last part of Madeline's interview contains her perspectives on how to get into med school, the differences between med schools and more. There's also information on how to contact her and access her personal guide on how to get into med school.
Part 2 of 3 - Madeline continues her story with her decision to try to go to med school with an Arts degree and no science or math high school credits. She explains how she studied for science and the MCAT and her preparations in applying to med school.
Madeline Malczewska graduated from Danforth in 2010 and graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Arts in English Literature while overcoming many barriers such as family, teachers and income. She's currently in her second year of medicine at the University of British Columbia. In this 3 part series, Madeline explains her Arts degree, how she got into med school and what it's like training to become a doctor.
2nd Year Computer Engineering Student John Lee picked the University of Toronto over Waterloo. Find out what the program is like from this 2019 UTS grad.
Trevor explains why he turned down MIT for Caltech for his PhD, what kind of work he did in his co-op jobs and what his work is with Google's Tensorflog Quantum.
Trevor McCourt was my student at Danforth Tech (Class of 2015) and graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2020 with a degree in engineering. He is a founding team member of Google's TensorFlow Quantum project. In this interview he details the advantages of having high grades in employment, how to get 100% in 3rd year calculus and his career path to getting acceptances to MIT and Caltech for his PhD.
Abhiram Bojadla was my student at Danforth Collegiate and graduated in 2012 to go to the University of Waterloo for Computer Engineering. He currently works as an Embedded Software Engineer for Apple at Apple HQ in California.
Part 1 discusses his transition to university, getting co-op jobs and beating 2000 applicants for the coveted Apple co-op job.
Part 2 will discuss what it's like working as an embedded software engineer at Apple
Part 3 will be all about tips, tricks and stories from Abhiram's experience as an interviewer for Apple when he visits to University of Waterloo to recruit co-op students.
Time | Topic
0:00 | What is it like working for Apple as an engineer
2:46 | Comparison to working at Google
5:23 | Perks for working at Apple
6:34 | Comparison to Facebook
8:25 | Apple Corporate Structure
12:33 | What an Embedded Software Engineer does
16:20 | Embedded Software Engineer comparison to Software Engineer
17:29 | Apple seniority levels
22:55 | What a day is like, workload, overtime
26:56 | Apple Team Activities
29:01 | Vacation, time off and salary
33:53 | Waterloo co-op student salaries
35:12 | Co-op student living in California vs Waterloo
37:01 | What is the best part of working for Apple?
41:06 | What’s the toughest part of your job?
42:19 | If you could choose again, would you change your major or university?
43:44 | Final advice for high school students
Abhiram Bojadla was my student at Danforth Collegiate and graduated in 2012 to go to the University of Waterloo for Computer Engineering. He currently works as an Embedded Software Engineer for Apple at Apple HQ in California.
Part 1 discusses his transition to university, getting co-op jobs and beating 2000 applicants for the coveted Apple co-op job.
Part 2 will discuss what it's like working as an embedded software engineer at Apple
Part 3 (to be done at a later date) will be all about tips, tricks and stories from Abhiram's experience as an interviewer for Apple when he visits to University of Waterloo to recruit co-op students.
Part 1:
0:00 | Intro
0:27 | After high school to WaterlooGrades talkWaterloo Application
4:21 | Academic difficulty in university
5:43 | Balancing social/life, residence and academics
6:52 | Co-op work Terms. 1st co-op difficulties.
11:23 | 2nd co-op job. Navigation Technology app job.
18:40 | 3rd co-op job. SAP iOS developer.
23:49 | 4th co-op term. SAP California
25:55 | Apple extended co-op term (12 months). Extending graduation to stay at Apple.
30:38 | Interviewing for Apple as a co-op student
33:08 | Google vs Facebook vs Apple interview
36:01 | Did marks matter in interviewing for jobs?
41:39 | END